Apparatus for feeding ceramic slip



Feb. 17, 1942. A. BOWER APPARATUS FOR FEEDING CERAMIC SLIP O. wh tmwm M4 mm INVENTOR Filed April 1, 1959 illl Patented eh. I 7, 1 942 .0 3 A APPARATUS FOR. FEEDIN GfCER-AM IC stir James A. Bower, Chester, W. Va; assignor toiil he Taylor, Smith & Taylon Company, a-icorporation of West Virginia 1 w Application April 1, 1939:,;Serial No. 265,461"

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an apparatus for feeding ceramic slip to a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to be cast, and is particularly designed for carrying out the slow-fast fill de scribed and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 258,746, filed February 27, 1939.

In connection with the filling of liquid slip into a mold cavity where a ceramic casting is to be produced, it is particularly important to avoid the introductionof 'air either into the slip or into the casting being made. Therefore, any turbulence, splashing or uncontrolled feeding of slip is undesirable since it adversely aflfects the cast article. Again, even though care be taken in the introduction of liquid slip into a mold cavity, disadvantageous results can readily arise due to a sudden delivery at one time of the entire volume of liquid slip necessary for the casting because this likewise causes undesirable entrapment of air due to splashing, etc. The undesirability of air in the slip and casting and the disadvantages resulting therefrom are more fully and specifically set forth in my aforesaid co-' pending application.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide apparatus which is simple and inexpensive and which will make possible the efiicient accomplishment of the slow-fast fill referred to. Another object of the invention resides in providing the nonporous funnel by means of which the liquid slip is introduced into the mold-cavity with means whereby the liquid slip can be delivered to a predetermined point of the mold cavity, preferably under pressure and always under full control as to rate of delivery and volume delivered.

More specifically, an object of my invention resides in providing the non-porous funnel by means of which liquid slip is fed to a mold cavity, as heretofore mentioned, with an arrangement whereby the liquid slip can be delivered under pressure to the thickest portion of the mold cavity and in such manner that the delivery of the liquid slip, and hence the filling of the mold cavity, is initiated relatively slowly and completed relatively rapidly.

Other and further objects and advantages will be appreciated by those skilled in this art or will be apparent or pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing wherein I have illustrated certain embodiments of the present invention and wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the various views:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view, partly in 55 mo ds" Hand '12 es el va ns fg t e mai 1 1. van 'ti istr ture by nieans-fof which the-,present'om t' be accomplished; Fig. 2 is a pe pecti funnel taken on'line'IIQ lZofF 1 Fig. 31s inpart a' vertical "sectionalview and n part' an elevatiohal diagrammatidv ew r one Fig. dis aview simila-i'fto form of slow fa'stgfill ffe'edin g a Referring firstto Figs} 1 and of dehum'idified plaster ii -Paris absorbent composition} w h Whole by" the numeral Ill; h

anemone e' des na ed? i 5 upp dt awl" r d a d fi e f i si m di mbld 'particuia r rm iuustrated A b Wh other item of least fiatwarefdefined" tween them; when h 159m I a c 'io nini l it ie et ia gh ea e e Wai ed j qi i eae an: his r a bntrar b nd c e wer a t e.

be noted that the funn the=upperdgefor 'suria the manner'herein tr' e 1121 t th ickes P ti ih t l i g h re l ke direction. The-J purpose and 7 n ikewise-b juncle to nape the fi i tys ctta-I he atl e 9 by means. of the a a gask wajshe 2 w chi s pr; rub er; fibre-rattles suitable metallic material capable of providing an airtight seal. The closure II is also provided with an upwardly projecting cylindrical boss 2! within which the boredplug 22 is threadedly engaged. Through the bore of such plug extends the shank 23 of the actuator 24, the said shank extending entirely through the closure and terminating in the funnel in contact with one end 26 of the yoke-like member 26. Actuator, is adapted to be lowered manually (or automatically) and in order to provide an air-tight joint a suitable packing material 2'! is disposed between the plug 22 and the bottom of the boss 2| to form, in effect, a stufllng-box.

The closure I8 is provided with a central threaded aperture 26 within which is adapted to be threadedlv received the conduit or delivery member 29 which has a threaded section 20. This conduit while normally retained assembled with the closure, as shown, may be removed and replaced by appropriate directional rotation thereof. The portion of the conduit below the closure is of reduced external diameter and disposed thereon is the block-like member 3|. Depending from one end of such block-like member is the plate-like member 32, the outer surface of which is provided with a projection 33, the upper surface of which provides a shoulder 34. Depending from that end of the member 26 which is opposite the end of the block-like member 3| from which the plate-like member 32 depends, the member 26 itself is provided with a similar plate-like member designated as 35, the external surface of which is provided with a projection 38 providing a shoulder 31 similar to the corresponding members described in connection with the other. plate-like member.

The lower end of conduit 29 is provided with a rubber tube 38, of readily collapsible nature,

the bottom of which terminates at or adjacent 4n the bottom of the funnel and centrally with respect to the small opening 39 of such funnel. A rubber holding member 40, in this case a strong rubber or gum. band, surrounds the plate-like members as shown, is prevented from slipping by the said projections and rests upon the said shoulders. Member 40 acts normally to urge the plate-like member 35 to the dotted line position shown in Fig. 1. In its dotted line position this plate-like member collapses a portion of the rubber tube 38 with theresult that the delivery of liquid slip is prevented. In other words, the structure just recited is equivalent to a valve which is capable of operating within the closed funnel under the control of an external member which extends into operative relation therewith.

. placement of piston 48 is slow and the balance of the displacement on the upward stroke is rapid.

The upper end of. conduit 29 is connected to a suitable hose or the like 4|.

It will be understood that movement of member from dotted to full line position (Fig. 1) is effected by depressing actuator 24 from dotted to full line position, such movement causing member 26 to fulcrum about the eccentrically mounted screw or the like 42. The dotted line positions are the positions which the parts normally assume when filling is not taking place and under which conditions the rubber tube 38 is collapsed and closed so that liquid slip cannot be delivered therefrom. Removal of the depressing force on actuator 24, however, results in the parts assuming their dotted line positions, this taking place under the contractile influence of member 40.

In Fig. 3 I have illustrated anarrangement which is capable of eifecting the slow-fast fill at 44. The bottom of the tank 42 is provided;

with a pipe 45 which is provided with a check .valve 46, the lower end of the pipe connecting into the top oi the cylinder 41 in which the pisr' ton 48 operates. The piston is provided with a rod or stem 49, the lower portion of whiclr'isjf provided with a helical spring 50 one end of,-

which is suitably secured to the rod 4! and the other end of which bears against a suitable sup.-

porting surface 5| through which the said stem operates. The lower end of the stem is provided with a rotatable cam follower 52 which is adapted to folgw the profile oi the eccentrically mounted cam beginning of the upward stroke while the cam profile is turning the amount indicated by the distance arrow 54. Throughout the remainder of the half profile of the cam (indicated by the distance arrow 55) the piston is actuated relatively rapidly. That is to say, the initial dis- The down or suction stroke is, of course, just the opposite and therefore. most of the succeeding charge of slip is withdrawn rapidly from the tank.

A pipe 56 leads from the pipe 45, is provided with a check valve 51 therein, and has its free end pr vided with the flexible section 4|, previously referred to, which may be of rubber hose or other flexible nonmetallic material. One end of section 4| is secured to pipe 58 by means of a hose clamp .58, and the other end of the flexible section is similarly connected to the upper end of the conduit 29.

The check valve 46 permits liquid slip to flow only in a downward direction and the check valve 51 permits liquid slip to flow only toward the funnel. Thus, the chamber 5! between the piston and the end of the cylinder is charged with liquid slip by gravity or by the suction action created by the piston during its downward movement, or both, and then upon upward movement of the piston 48 the charge of slip is first relatively slowly forced through pipe it and then relatively rapidly pumped for the balance of the charge, the chamber 59 being of such dimensions :gat it holds the. required or desired amount of In Fig. 4 another arrangement has been illustrated for producing a slow-fast flll'fof mold cavity l3. However, in Fig. 4 the supply of liquid slip 60, which is maintained under agitation by means of a suitable agitator such as'that diagrammatically illustrated at Bl, is confined with-- in a closed tank 62 in such manner that there is an air chamber 63 between the top of the liquid slip and the top of the tank. By means of the pipe 64 air under pressure can be introduced. into said'air chamber and the pressure is maintained at such a value as will enable the liquid slip to be discharged in such manner as to meet the requirements of the present invention.

The pipe 65 leading from the bottom of tank 62 is provided with a valve 68 of a type which is herein termed a quick opening valve," indicating that it can be fully opened almost instantaneously atthe desired or appropriate time.

here involved, and in this figure the numeral 42 Pipe 68 leads to the flexible section 41 which is This cam is so shaped that it moves piston 48 incylinder 41 relatively slowly at the 'within a very few seconds.

2,273,016 clamped at one end to the said pipe 65 and at the other end to the conduit 29, precisely as in Fig. 3. The pipe 65 is provided with aby-pass line 61 which has a quick opening valve 68 of the same character as that previously referred to at B6, and on the inlet side of the valve 68 a needle valve 69 is located which is permanently set or adjusted in such manner as to admit a relatively small flow of liquid slip to the funnel IS with insuiilcient velocity or force to cause splashing, turbulence, etc. in the funnel, as above pointed out, and thus in such manner as to prevent the entrapment or the entrainment of air in the slip. The amount and rate. of flow of slip passing through the needle valve is the slow part of the slow-fast fill and corresponds to the flow of slip created by the initial portion of p the upward stroke of piston 48 in the structure of Fig. 3.

In connection with the operation of the system of Fig 4, the valve 68 is opened simultaneously with the depression of the actuator 24, and thus at the same time that the rubber tube 38 is opened. Valve 66 remains closed at this time. Due to the preadjusted needle valve 69 and to the presence 'of air under pressure in the chamber 63, liquid slip flows through pipe 65, through bypass 61, through fiexible section 4| and through pipe 29 do .vn into the rubber tube 38 from which it is delivered directly into the thickest portion of the mold cavity l3, and this slow initial feed continues substantially only until liquid slip rises to the level in the. funnel indicated by the line 10. This occurs almost immediately, 1. e., When the liquid slip reaches the level of the line 10, and hence seals oil the bottom of the rubber tube from the air or atmosphere within the funnel, the valve 66 is opened, and thus liquid slip from that time on is fed or delivered relatively rapidly, and this rapid feed continues until the liquid slip level rises to the line indicated by the numeral ll. The exact height of this line depends upon the air pressure in the chamber 63, the size of the funnel, etc.,

. and it will be understood that the level will rise in the funnel until the pressure in the reduced unoccupied air space in the funnel becomes equal -to that in the storage tank chamber. When the two pressures reach equilibrium the feed of slip ceases. Thus, by controlling or predetermining the pressure in the chamber 63 of the storage tank and/or the size of the funnel I can precisely detzrmine the amount of liquid slip which is fed into the funnel so as to produce ultimately a ceramic casting which represents a minimum waste or excess of liquid slip. The same mode of operation applies, of course, to Fig. 3.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in this art that the total amount of liquid slip which is fed is equal to the volumetric capacity of the mold cavity l3 plus an allowance for shrinkage due to absorption of moisture by the molds plus an exceedingly small excess which constitutes a pour spot which must be ultimately removed, as is shown in and as will be understood from my aforesaid copending application. Thus, by varying the air pressure in storage tank 63 for difierent molds or mold cavities or articles to be made, the slow-fast fill can be accomplished under various conditions and is thus applicable to the production of many different articles of cast ceramic ware.

It will be understood further that suitable means is provided for ensuring accurate registration of the upper and lower mold parts I I and I2, and, while the means for registration may take various specific forms, many of which are well known in the mold-makers art, I prefer to provide the upper mold with the two brass or other metallic cylindrical members 12, each of which is provided with an inverted conical recess 13 and the lower mold with a plurality of cylindrical pins I4 embedded cylindrical end downward in the mold l2 and havinga truncated cone end I5 projecting above the mold and adapted to be received within the inverted cone recesses above mentioned. This registration means makes possible both a rapid assembly of the mold parts and an assembly which cannot result in relative displacement or misalignment of the mold parts due to the shape of the projecting pins and recesses. It is, however, to be understood that I am not limited to the use of the particular registration means shown. r

The foregoing description is intended as illustrative and not as limitative and I intend that the same shall be subject to various modifications, substitutions, additions and omissions without departing from the spirit and scope hereof which is rather that set forth by the appended claims.

While the apparatus herein described and claimed is particularly intended and adapted for use in connection with my new procedure for making cast flatware, it may nevertheless be employed wherever the principles hereof find. application. While the feeding arrangements described involve some manual intervention, i. e., require an operator, it is within the purview of my invention to make the same entirely automatic, in which event the various valves will be electrically actuated and preferably in a timed relationship, de-.

pending upon the rate at which molds are to be filled. As each set of molds with its funnel approaches the point where slip is fed, the funnel closure l8 with all the associated parts attached thereto is placed over the funnel, filling is effected, and after filling is completed the closure I 8 with all its associated parts is again removed so that the set of molds may travel on as required unencumbered by any accoutrements except the funnel itself. Also, while I have shown the section M secured by hose clamps, it will be clear that othersuitable arrangements can be resorted to equally well.

Having thus described. my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Apparatus for accomplishing a slow-fast fill of a mold cavity in which a. ceramic article is to be cast which comprises a. funnel embedded in one of the molds defining said mold cavity, a top closure for said funnel, a conduit passing through said closure and terminating in a rub-' 2. Apparatus for accomplishing aslow fast fill-- of a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to be cast which comprises a funnel embedded within one of the molds which defines said mold cavity, afianged disc-like top closure for said funnel, an actuator extending through said closure and provided with a. stufling-box-like arrangement, a metal closure and adapted to be threadedly engaged therewith, a rubber tube on the lower end 01' the conduit and terminating adjacent the bottom conduit passing through said of said funnel, a block-like member engaging said conduit and through which said conduit extends, a yoke-like member eccentrically --fulcrumed to said block-like member, a plate-like member depending from said block-like member, a plate-like member depending from said eccentrically iulcrumed member and converging downwardly with respect to the first plate-like member, means for normally urging the second platelike member toward the first plate-like member to collapse and shut off the rubber tube which extends therebetween, and means for delivering liquid slip to the mold cavity from the lower end of said rubber tube first slowly and then I rapidly.

3. Apparatus for accomplishing a slow-fast fill of a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to be cast which comprises a funnel embedded within one or the molds which defines said mold cavity, a flanged disc-like top closure for said funnel, an actuator extendin through said closure and provided with a stufiingebox-like arrangement, a metal conduit passing through said closure and adapted to be threadedly engaged therewith, a rubber tube on the lower end of the conduit and terminating adjacent the bottom of said funnel, a block-like member engaging said conduit and through which said conduit extends, a yoke-like member eccentrically iulcruined to said block-like'member, a plate-like member depending from said block-like member, a platelike member dependin from. said eccentrically iulcrumed member and converging downwardly with respect to the first plate-like member, means for normally urging the second plate-like member toward the first plate-like member to collapse and shut off the rubber tube which extends therebetweemand means for delivering liquid slip to the mold cavity from the lower end of said rubber tube first slowly and then rapidly, each of said plate-like members being provided with an external projection forming a pair of shoulders to prevent downward slippage of said first means.

4. Apparatus for accomplishing a slow-fast fill of a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to becast which comprises a funnel embedded in one of the molds which defines the mold cavity, a top closure for said funnel, a partly rigid metallic and partly yielding nonmetallic conduit extending through said closure and terminating adjacent the bottom of said funnel, means for predeterminedly collapsing and opening the yieldable nonmetallic portion of said conduit, and means for delivering liquid slip into said mold cavity from said yieldable nonmetallic conduit portion first at a relatively slow rate and then at a relatively rapid rate.

5. Apparatus for accomplishing a slow-fast fill of a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to be cast which comprises a funnel embedded in one of the molds which defines the mold cavity, a top closure for said funnel, a partly rigid metallic and partly yielding nonmetallic conduit exposed partially within said funnel and partially outside the same and the former part being actuated by the latter part.

6. Apparatus for accomplishing a slow-fast fill of a mold cavity in which a ceramic article is to be cast which comprises a funnel embedded in one of the molds which defines the mold cavity, a top closure for said funnel, a partly rigid metallic and partly yielding nonmetallic conduit extending through said closure and terminating adiacent the bottom of said funnel, means for predeterminedly collapsing and opening the yieldable nonmetallic. portion of said conduit, and means for delivering liquid slip into said mold cavity from said yieldable nonmetallic conduit portion first at a relatively slow rate and then at a relatively rapid rate, said first means including comprising a mold having a cavity, means for introducing slip into said cavity, means for initially supplying slip to said introducing means at a relatively slow rate for a predetermined period of time less than that necessary to fill the cavity, means for thereafter supplying slip to said introducing means at a faster rate than the said initial rate, the supply and introducing means being so constructed and arranged that the slip supplied at the faster rate is out of contact with the atmosphere during its passage through the introducing means and at the point of entry into the cavity.

8. Apparatus for slip-casting a ceramic fiatware article comprising a mold having a cavity of the shape and size, with due allowance ior arranged that the slip supplied at the faster rate is out of contact with the atmosphere during its passage through the introducing means and at the point of entry into the cavity.

9. Apparatus for slip-casting a ceramic article comprising a mold having a cavity, means for introducing slip into said cavity, means for initially supplying slip to said introducing means at a relatively slow-rate and in an amount less than that necessary to fill the cavity, means for thereafter supplying slip to said-introducing means at a faster rate than the said initial rate and at super-atmospheric pressure, the supply and introducing means being so constructed and arranged that the slip supplied at the faster rate'is out of contact with the atmosphere during its passage through the introducing means and at the point of entry into the cavity.

JAMES A. BOWER. 

